Molly Cipher
by UnicornsAndMurder
Summary: Molly and her twin brother are stuck at an orphanage. At least, until her brother escapes when they are only seven. Molly hasn't see him in eight years. Then she stumbles into the town of Gravity Falls and meets the Pines twins, and things get a little crazy. Will she find her brother? Will he find her? AU. Rated T for slight language.
1. Chapter 1

Molly stared out the window, sighing. Her twin brother was ranting about his plans for the future.

"One day, I'm gonna run away from this dump! I'll fend for myself in the real world," he declared. Molly turned to him.

"What about me?" she asked.

"Don't worry Molls. I'll come back for you," he said. Molly raised an eyebrow. Her brother sighed. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye," he recited. Molly smiled. Then she turned to look out the window.

"I hate them. All of them," she said as she stared down at the other orphans who got to play outside. She and her brother never got to go outside. Nobody working at the orphanage wanted people walking past to see these weird twins.

"I hate them too," the boy said. "Wanna mess with them?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"Duh," Molly replied. She flicked her hand in a circle, and the jump rope some kids had been playing with wrapped up around one boy. He screamed, and everyone turned to the window where they knew the culprit waited. Molly waved at them, laughing.

"My turn," her sibling said. He snapped his fingers, causing a ball a group of kids had been kicking to turn into a ginormous orange.

"What the-" one girl shouted. Molly high-fived her brother.

"We are gonna be in so much trouble," she said with a huge smile. They adjusted their eyepatches in unison and grinned.

* * *

Molly stared at the ceiling. All the other kids got to watch a movie, but she and her brother had to go to bed early. Molly sighed, brushing her golden hair out of her face.

It wasn't the worst punishment, but it forced her to sit in silence with her thoughts. Thoughts of her jerk parents, leaving them here. They weren't dead- that was all she knew about them.

She stared at the mark on the back of her left hand: a one-eyed triangle with limbs, a top hat, and a bow tie. Her brother had it on his hand too. Neither of them knew what it meant. She felt alone, despite the boy lying in the bed next to hers. Her one good eye filled with tears.

"I hate it!" Molly screamed suddenly. "I hate it here! I hate everyone and everything!" Her brother didn't speak for a while.

"Molls?" he asked after a long silence.

"What?" she snapped.

"I- I wanted to give you something," he said. Molly held out her hand and let her twin drop something in it. It was a gold coin. "I stole it. I don't need it, and I want you to have it," he explained. It was clearly worth quite a bit, but Molly had no intention of selling it.

"Thanks," she said. Her brother smiled in the dark.

"Molls?" he asked again.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"No matter what, we're siblings. We stick together. If you ever feel alone, remember I'm always there for you. Okay?" he told her. He sounded like he was about to cry. Molly nodded, feeling tears in her yellow eye. She wiped them away.

"I love you, Molls," her brother told her.

She quietly responded, "I love you too, Bill."

* * *

 **Eight years later…**

Molly didn't even flinch. She was used to being slapped at this place.

"You worthless little urchin! Can't you do anything right?!" Mrs. Grenwald screeched.

"Not really," Molly replied calmly. She was slapped again. She was pretty sure she was slapped harder the second time, but she couldn't really feel it.

Mrs. Grenwald walked away, muttering curse words under her breath. Molly sighed, picking up the basket of white clothes that were now pink, thanks to Marcy's red sweatshirt. She dumped the clothes in the dryer, not bothering to turn it on.

This was it. She was really gonna do it. Molly took a deep breath, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out the coin Bill gave her the night before he left. Now, she was leaving, too.

She headed up to her room for the last time. She grabbed the tattered blanket off her bed and set her few possessions on it- the picture of her and Bill a few weeks before he left, her sketchbook (which had less than 15 pages left), and the chocolate bar she stole from the gas station on the corner.

She pulled on her sweatshirt, which was yellow with a big eye on the front. She tied her shoelace. When she was sure she was ready, she grabbed the blanket with her stuff and tied the top into a knot. She tossed it over her shoulder and, making sure Mrs. Grenwald wasn't around, walked out the door, not turning back to look at her prison.

* * *

"Okay, you can do this. This is nothing. Just a little longer," Molly muttered as she trudged along. Her bag of things was getting heavy, despite the fact that there were less than five items in there.

The guy at the gas station a few miles back said there was a town not too far away. He had warned her it was a strange place with strange people, which only made her decide it was the perfect place to go.

It was getting light out, filling Molly with dread. She needed the darkness to travel without risk of being discovered. Mrs. Grenwald was probably looking for her, only because it would make the orphanage look bad if she didn't. Thankfully, Molly could travel in the forest while the sun was up. She quickly entered the trees, breathing in their fresh scent.

"Just a couple more hours, I bet," she announced to the pines. "Just a couple more hours until I get to Gravity Falls."

Hours later, Molly was exhausted and felt like kicking the next squirrel she saw. She knew she needed sleep, but she also needed food and water, which she could get in Gravity Falls. She slowly made her way through the woods, finally making it into a little clearing.

There was a house with a huge sign that read 'Mystery Shack.' Unfortunately, the S in Shack had fallen off.

"Well, maybe they'll take pity on me. And if necessary, I could always... persuade them," Molly muttered, a small blue flame forming on her palm. She balled her hand into a fist, putting out the fire. She approached the door and knocked.

It flew open, a young boy staring back at her. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore an orange T-shirt and gray shorts. Pajamas. I didn't even realize how early it is, Molly thought to herself.

"Who the hell are you?" he inquired, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing," Molly snapped. He glared at her.

"Ladies first," he told her.

"Then why aren't you talking?" she sassily replied.

He looked surprised, but finally answered, "I'm Dipper Pines. Now, let me ask again... who the hell are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Molly turned to face Dipper.

"My name's Molly," she told him.

"Molly what?" he inquired. She hesitated.

"Cipher," she finally said. He gave her an odd look.

"What?" she said meanly. He didn't even flinch as she pushed past him into the building.

"Nothing," he responded quickly. "Might I ask why you're here at..." He paused to glance at a clock. "6:54 in the morning? We're not open until around 8," he pointed out.

"Long story. What even is this place?" Molly said, looking around at the strange objects.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack," he sighed, "also known as the world's weirdest tourist trap." She stifled a laugh.

Molly, focus. You need food, she said in her head.

She was about to ask if there was anything she could eat when Dipper interrupted by asking "Why are you here?"

Molly sighed. "I ran away from the orphanage where I was raised. I've been walking for hours and I need food. I found this place and decided it looked as good a stop as any," she explained. He nodded.

"Why'd you run away?" he asked.

"None of your business," she snapped. She felt hot tears slowly starting to roll down her cheeks.

Oh my God, Molly. Toughen up, she scolded herself. Closing her eyes and concentrating, the tears slowly evaporated into mist.

"What the hell?!" Dipper exclaimed.

Oh. Right.

"Don't freak out! It's cool. It's cool," she assured him. He frowned.

"Alright, you explain this to me right now or I call the police," he threatened. That wasn't good. Molly was NOT going back to the orphanage. She sighed again.

"Get comfy. It's a long story."

* * *

"Okay, let me see if I got this right: you and your twin brother lived in an orphanage. You were abused and treated differently because you guys have weird powers. He ran away when you were 5 years old. Now you've run away and are trying to find him," Dipper said.

"Pretty much," Molly replied.

"Wow. That's... wow," he said. He looked at the clock. "Crap. It's almost 8," he observed.

"Good to know," Molly said sarcastically. She heard fast footsteps rapidly approaching them.

The door flew open to reveal a girl who looked almost identical to Dipper. She had the same brown hair and brown eyes. She had a huge grin on her face, showing off her braces. She wore a bright red t-shirt with little white stars all over it, with white overalls and a headband to match.

"Hey Dip! Why are you down here in your PJ's?" she said brightly. "And who's this? Your girlfriend?" she asked, turning to Molly, who pretended to throw up. Dipper's face went bright red.

"I'm Molly," she introduced herself.

"I'm Mabel! You look familiar. Do I know you?" the girl replied. Molly shook her head.

"Oh. Okay!" Mabel chirped. "C'mon, Dipper! You need to get dressed," she said to her brother. He made a noise that was half-moan, half-groan, that can only be made by someone who does not want to do something.

Molly smiled at the two. It reminded her of Bill. Remember, Molly, she told herself, you have to find Bill. Then you can be friends with girls wearing sweaters and their awkward brothers.

Mabel dragged her brother by the arm upstairs, leaving Molly alone in the gift shop. She looked around at the weird items all around the room. Many looked fake.

The door opened, and Molly turned to face a tall, red-headed girl a couple years older than her. The girl had freckles on her pale cheeks, and she wore a blue-green plaid shirt. Atop her head was a furry brown hat with ear flaps.

"Sup?" the girl said casually, plopping down on the chair behind the cash register and opening a magazine.

"Um... not much. You?" Molly tentatively replied.

"Same. I'm Wendy, by the way."

"Oh. I'm Molly. Molly Cipher."

"Cool name."

Molly thanked her. She stood there awkwardly for a moment when Dipper and Mabel walked back into the room.

"Hi, Wendy!" Mabel happily greeted.

"Hey," Dipper said. Wendy waved at them, focused on whatever article she was reading.

"This is Molly," Dipper said.

"I know," Wendy replied.

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

A few minutes later, a rather wide man in a suit wearing an eyepatch and a red fez entered the room.

"Hey, dudes! Who's this?" he asked, looking at Molly.

"Oh, I'm Molly," she told him.

"I'm Soos. Welcome to the Mystery Shack!"

"Would you be willing to help out today?" Dipper asked her.

"Like, help work here?" Molly said.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

So she spent the day sweeping up the gift shop and ringing up overpriced souvenirs. By the end of the day, she was quite tired and very hungry, despite the many snacks she got from the vending machine.

She and the twins ate popcorn and watched a strange show called Ducktective after Wendy had left. There had also been a nice lady called Melody working there, who Molly discovered was Soos's girlfriend.

"Hey, guys?" Molly asked.

"Yeah?" Mabel answered through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Can I ask you guys a favor?"

"Of course!" Dipper said.

"Can you guys help me find my brother?"

"You have a brother?" Mabel asked, confused.

* * *

After Mabel was caught up, Molly repeated her question.

"Can you guys help me find him?"

Mabel placed a hand on her new friend's shoulder.

"Molly, I will find your brother if it kills me, because I care about my friends," she said, dead serious.

Molly laughed. "You won't die, I promise." The two girls smiled at each other.

"Can we see a picture of him? And maybe, I dunno, get his name?" Dipper said, slightly grinning.

Molly smacked herself in the forehead, but she, too, was grinning a little. "I'm an idiot. Yeah, hang on." She grabbed her sack and tenderly picked up her picture. She handed it to the twins.

"This is an old picture, but I think he probably still looks like that. I mean, you can tell I haven't changed much, huh?" Molly told them, chuckling slightly at her last comment.

Two pairs of eyes widened as they looked at the picture. Molly adjusted her eyepatch, feeling uncomfortable at Dipper and Mabel's reactions.

"What... what's his name?" Dipper whispered.

Why do they seem so afraid? Molly thought. She hesitated for a moment, trying to push away her nervousness. She finally answered, "Bill."

And Mabel screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mabel, calm down!" Dipper said. He went to pat his sister on the shoulder, but she had stood up and threw the picture across the room. The instant the photo was in the air, Molly leapt up and snatched it. She held out her hand and conjured a blue flame, glaring at Mabel.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Molly said, her voice like ice. Dipper got up and stood between the two girls.

"H-hey, Molly. Chill out. I'll explain everything, okay?" he said softly.

"S-sorry for throwing your picture," Mabel squeaked, peeking her head over her brother's shoulder.

Molly closed her hand, extinguishing the fire. "It's fine. I just..." She took a deep breath. "It's fine. I'm fine. I'm cool."

"So, d-do you want us to explain now?" Mabel asked.

"That'd be great, yeah," Molly replied.

* * *

"So, when I first met you and you said your last name was Cipher, I thought that was really weird because there's this guy we've met before named Bill Cipher. He once broke into the Shack to steal the deed and give it to this guy named Gideon. Then another time he used some weird magic to make me invisible, then pretended to be me to steal my great uncle Ford's journal on the mysteries of Gravity Falls," Dipper explained.

"Then when I saw the picture of your brother and you said his name is Bill, I freaked out. You seem really cool and funny and nice, so the thought of Bill being your brother was just... I couldn't believe it," Mabel added.

Molly didn't say anything, just stared at the photograph in her hand.

"Sorry," the twins said in unison.

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry for scaring you. I just-" She stopped. "Wait. If you've met Bill before, does that mean he lives in this town?"

Dipper shrugged. "I don't know where he lives. He just shows up every now and then."

'When was the last time you saw him?" Molly said.

"Umm... I think it was... maybe two years ago? I'm not a hundred percent sure," Mabel replied.

"That sounds about right," her brother agreed.

Silently, Molly stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mabel asked, standing up as well.

"To look for my brother."

"Well, let me come with you!" Mabel said.

"I thought you were afraid of my brother," Molly replied, still walking.

"I am, but I'm not scared of you! Plus, I have a grappling hook."

Molly sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Fine."

"Yay!"

"You won't find him," Dipper muttered.

"What was that?" Molly snapped, whipping around to face him.

"I-I said, I'll come with you."

"Excellent. Three people will be more productive than two," Molly stated.

The trio wandered around town for hours, checking everywhere from the diner to the Gravity Falls Gossiper building. They finally arrived to a large house that Molly couldn't help but be impressed by.

"That's a nice place," Molly said as she stared up at the mansion on the hill.

"I know, right? My friend Pacifica used to live there, but now Grunkle Ford's friend lives there," Mabel explained happily.

"Yeah, it's great, but Bill won't be here. Can we go home now? It's dark out," Dipper said.

"What, you scared of the dark?" Molly said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I just don't want to get killed by some maniac!"

"Relax, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, bro-bro! Chill out," Mabel chirped.

Despite their reassurances, Dipper still felt uneasy. Gravity Falls was a weird town with weird people. Being out so late worried him.

"Seriously, we should go home," Dipper said again as they walked.

"Well, if we go now, we have to search more tomorrow," the blonde decided.

"Deal."

"We'll have to start searching at six in the morning," she added.

"What?!" Mabel exclaimed. "That's too early to be awake, much less search for creepy guys."

"It's either that or continuing to search now," Molly said with a shrug.

"Well, see you at home!" Dipper said before dashing off in the direction of the Shack.

Mabel sighed. "Do we really have to?"

"C'mon, it won't be that bad. We can have some coffee to wake up, if you want," Molly said kindly, putting her arm around Mabel's shoulders.

The brunette shuddered. "No, thanks. Coffee is gross. I'll stick with Mabel Juice."

Molly tilted her head, confused. "Mabel Juice?"

"Oh, right. You've never heard of it. After all, we've only known you for, like, a day. You're the kinda person who others feel so comfortable around that they forget that they haven't known you very long. Anyway, I'll make you some in the morning. C'mon, maybe we can still catch up with Dipper!" Mabel said cheerfully, running after her twin.

Molly looked at her feet and thought over her friend's words. They made her feel warm and happy. She hadn't felt that way since her brother left.

She smiled, looked up, and began to jog back to the Mystery Shack.

* * *

"Alright, before we go bed, I think we should plan where we'll search tomorrow. Just wandering around won't be very effective," Dipper said, sitting down at the table.

"Planning out a route? Is that really necessary?" Molly questioned. "We searched quite a bit today, and we'll have even more time tomorrow."

"Yeah! Plans are for stupidheads," Mabel agreed.

Molly began laughing, and laughed even more at the exasperated expression on Dipper's face.

"Whatever. Sorry for being the only organized one here," he muttered. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Wait! Where's Molly gonna sleep?" Mabel asked.

Oh. I forgot about sleep, Molly thought.

"Oh, yeah. Um… she can sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep in the break room," Dipper decided.

"What? Oh, no, it's fine. You can sleep in your bed. I'll be fine in the break room," Molly quickly replied.

"No, it's alright. I don't mind. The break room's pretty nice."

Mabel giggled. "Remember that time we were fighting over it, and we switched bodies?"

"Yeah, and we sabotaged each other that way," her brother laughed.

"You switched bodies? That must've been weird…" Molly said.

"Oh, it was. Especially for me." Mabel shuddered, remembering what she learned that day. Molly gave her a curious look

"Anyway, goodnight! See you guys in the morning," Dipper said with a little wave.

"Night," the girls said in unison.

* * *

"I need pajamas," Molly said. "I didn't bring any."

"What did you bring then?" her friend replied.

Molly set her makeshift sack on her bed and untied the knot, revealing its contents.

"Oh. Gee, that's not a lot. Did you even have pajamas?" Mabel asked.

"One pair that I had to wash daily, but yes."

"Yikes."

"Yeah. So, got any I can borrow?" Molly inquired.

"Of course! Just gimme a sec," Mabel said, dashing out of the room.

She returned a little later, carrying some folded-up clothes. "Here." She tossed them to Molly, who caught (but almost dropped) them.

"I'll be right back." She headed to the bathroom to change, and came back dressed in a bright green t-shirt and black shorts with white stripes.

"Wow! You look great," Mabel cheerfully said, making Molly smile.

"Thanks," she said, dropping her clothes onto her blanket-bag-thing, which she placed on the floor.

"Isn't this great? It's like a sleepover!" Mabel exclaimed, adjusting her purple nightgown.

"A what?"

Mabel gasped. "You've never heard of a sleepover?" She sounded appalled.

"Raised in an orphanage, remember?"

"Oh. My. GOSH! This is not okay. I have to call Candy and Grenda right now."

"Who?"

"My friends! They're sleepover experts!"

The idea of meeting two new people made Molly a bit nervous. Mabel and Dipper were used to weirdness, but would Mabel's friends be okay with meeting a freak?

"Um… maybe we can have a sleepover after we find Bill," she said hesitantly.

"Wait, you're gonna stay with us after you find him?" Mabel responded quickly.

"Yeah, of course! Unless you have a problem with that."

"Oh, no, I don't have a problem with it at all! I'm just surprised. I figured once you had your brother, you wouldn't need us anymore…"

"What? No! You guys are my best friends!" she exclaimed. "Even though I've only known you for a day," she added.

Mabel giggled. "You're one of my best friends too."

* * *

"Alright, before we go bed, I think we should plan where we'll search tomorrow. Just wandering around won't be very effective," Dipper said, sitting down at the table.

"Planning out a route? Is that really necessary?" Molly questioned. "We searched quite a bit today, and we'll have even more time tomorrow."

"Yeah! Plans are for stupidheads," Mabel agreed.

Molly began laughing, and laughed even more at the exasperated expression on Dipper's face.

"Whatever. Sorry for being the only organized one here," he muttered. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Wait! Where's Molly gonna sleep?" Mabel asked.

Oh. I forgot about sleep, Molly thought.

"Oh, yeah. Um… she can sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep in the break room," Dipper decided.

"What? Oh, no, it's fine. You can sleep in your bed. I'll be fine in the break room," Molly quickly replied.

"No, it's alright. I don't mind. The break room's pretty nice."

Mabel giggled. "Remember that time we were fighting over it, and we switched bodies?"

"Yeah, and we sabotaged each other that way," her brother laughed.

"You switched bodies? That must've been weird…" Molly said.

"Oh, it was. Especially for me." Mabel shuddered, remembering what she learned that day. Molly gave her a curious look

"Anyway, goodnight! See you guys in the morning," Dipper said with a little wave.

"Night," the girls said in unison.

* * *

"I need pajamas," Molly said. "I didn't bring any."

"What did you bring then?" her friend replied.

Molly set her makeshift sack on her bed and untied the knot, revealing its contents.

"Oh. Gee, that's not a lot. Did you even have pajamas?" Mabel asked.

"One pair that I had to wash daily, but yes."

"Yikes."

"Yeah. So, got any I can borrow?" Molly inquired.

"Of course! Just gimme a sec," Mabel said, dashing out of the room.

She returned a little later, carrying some folded-up clothes. "Here." She tossed them to Molly, who caught (but almost dropped) them.

"I'll be right back." She headed to the bathroom to change, and came back dressed in a bright green t-shirt and black shorts with white stripes.

"Wow! You look great," Mabel cheerfully said, making Molly smile.

"Thanks," she said, dropping her clothes onto her blanket-bag-thing, which she placed on the floor.

"Isn't this great? It's like a sleepover!" Mabel exclaimed, adjusting her purple nightgown.

"A what?"

Mabel gasped. "You've never heard of a sleepover?" She sounded appalled.

"Raised in an orphanage, remember?"

"Oh. My. GOSH! This is not okay. I have to call Candy and Grenda right now."

"Who?"

"My friends! They're sleepover experts!"

The idea of meeting two new people made Molly a bit nervous. Mabel and Dipper were used to weirdness, but would Mabel's friends be okay with meeting a freak?

"Um… maybe we can have a sleepover after we find Bill," she said hesitantly.

"Wait, you're gonna stay with us after you find him?" Mabel responded quickly.

"Yeah, of course! Unless you have a problem with that."

"Oh, no, I don't have a problem with it at all! I'm just surprised. I figured once you had your brother, you wouldn't need us anymore…"

"What? No! You guys are my best friends!" she exclaimed. "Even though I've only known you for a day," she added.

Mabel giggled. "You're one of my best friends too."


End file.
